Turning Little Liars Into Heroes And The Zero Dark Thirty Backlash

I heartily endorse the growing backlash against the CIA propaganda film, Zero Dark Thirty.  It gives me a special feeling to see that some leftish folks out there are taking on Hollywood's rock-ribbed establishment conservatism with informed critique and film criticism, by calling out some befuddled apologists, and by unpacking the connection between embedded 'journalists' and imperial atrocities.  The military and the CIA are extremely pleased when their completely one-sided narratives are internalized by writers and film directors who either knowingly or unknowingly further the imperial policies.  When torture and murder are presented as heroic, everyone loses.  It's no accident that the filmmakers were given special access to the CIA and CIA sources; the goal of the agency and the government was to normalize criminal activity for the audience.  You are not going to see any decent writers or directors get that special access.  You have to pledge your fealty and be a sufficiently enthusiastic boot-licker in order to get to make a film like Zero Dark Thirty, and it is awesome to see some of our brothers and sisters pushing back.